American Values

The American Creed is something that most people might not know about, or might not fully understand. Many believe that the American Creed is some set of common values among all Americans, and in some ways it is. All Americans have their own values, their own values and beliefs that tie to their country and their patriotism, but everyone's values are different. No one American has the same experience, so they could not possibly all have the same values. The diverse cultures of America make it truly impossible for everyone to have one set of values, because the values of diverse Americans is formed by their culture and individual experience, forming many values and beliefs for their own perspective.

The diversity of peoples backgrounds is one of the primary causes for a diversity in the idea of what “American Creed” is. America is a melting pot of peoples, and their backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. So despite how the idea of American Creed may seem like something that would be agreed upon, and uniform among Americans, it is quite the opposite. In fact, I would argue that the idea of what “American Creed” is, has become more divided than ever, and was never going to be a single set of ideas, even from the foundation of this country. In an article from The Washington Post, it is said “American has always contained many different communities, both physically and philosophically. The founders conceived a nation where people could pursue differing visions of life, liberty and happiness.” The nation has always been made to be a nation of different perspectives, whether it be of those who have always lived here, or immigrants coming for the first time. American values are different for all of them.

A strong example, of someone whose ideas of American values are probably quite different from manys is Taif Jany. In an interview published to The Aspen Institute, Taif Jany recounts his immigration to the United States and describes what makes him feel American, despite not coming from America originally. He also describes how immigrants to America see things differently, which is exactly why the American Creed is different for everyone. “Those Americans, with their different and unique journeys, understand the immigrant experience in their own way.” he says, giving a shining example of a way in which someone's idea of American Creed could be different. Taif Jany’s experience has molded his values and beliefs, and they are just as American as anyone else's, but are likely quite different from someone who was raised in a big city in the United States their entire life, or grew up on a farm in the middle of the country.

These differences in American values can be seen most clearly within politics. With radically different political ideologies throughout America, and increased political tension, it's no secret that people with different political beliefs have very different American values. The primary two parties in America have only become more different recently, and their differing values are only become more obvious. In the article “The Collapse of American Identity” posted to the New York Times, author, Robert P. Jones says “The two political parties may not share much, but each is increasingly aware that the other has embraced a radically different vision of America’s identity and future.”

Based on all this information, it’s clear that not only is the American Creed different for each person based on their culture and their individual experience, it’s also becoming increasingly different as time goes on. With a combinations of backgrounds, politics, and individual life experience, the concept of American values are only diverging from one another more.